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Powell River has been on my list of places to visit ever since I moved to Vancouver more than 10 years ago, but its remoteness up near the top of the Sunshine Coast kept it from happening until I finally made the trek with my family earlier this spring.

I wish we'd gone sooner. We discovered a town with a rich history that is set in a gorgeous part of B.C. and is populated by a diverse group of interesting, active and community-minded residents who see its remoteness as a positive attribute.

It takes about four-and-a-half hours to drive there from Vancouver. We left on a Friday morning, catching the 9:25 a.m. ferry at Horseshoe Bay to Langdale on the Lower Coast, and then drove through to catch the 12:20 p.m. sailing from Earl's Cove to Saltery Bay on the Upper Coast.

It's only about half an hour from there to Powell River. The Sunshine Coast Highway goes right through the Westview neighbourhood, south of the centre of town, where every house has a spectacular western view of Texada Island and the snow-capped peaks of Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island.

Downtown Powell River boasts a brand new marina and updated ferry terminal (with routes to Comox or Texada Island), as well as a short stretch of locally owned shops and restaurants, with, refreshingly, no chain outlets or franchises in sight. North of downtown is Willingdon Beach Park, with a wellappointed campground and a great sandy beach, and above that, our destination: Townsite.

Townsite was Powell River's original town centre, built between 1910-1930 by the Powell River Paper Company according to a utopian plan called the Garden City Movement that respected the humanity of industrial workers and their families first and foremost. The resulting grid of houses around and above the paper mill was recognized as a National Historic Site in 1995: "about 400 original homes still stand together representing a stylistically harmonious group," says Canada's Historic Places website.

Most of Townsite's houses were built in the Arts and Crafts style, making it a prime spot for a walking tour for architecture buffs - and indeed, you can sign up for a guided tour with the Townsite Heritage Society or print out a map on their website for a self-guided tour.

The mill, with its giant towers and steam-belching smokestacks, is omnipresent in Townsite, as is the pungent odour of its industry, but then so is the smell of fresh beer brewing at the brand-new Townsite Brewing Company, oil paints and pottery glazes from its many artisans, and compost and freshly turned soil in the many backyard gardens.

Besides, locals are quick to say the mill doesn't smell as badly as it used to.

Part of the reason is that it has cut its production considerably in recent decades, and with it, much of its workforce. But the town's population has remained stable around 13,000. A mix of young people, urban real estate refugees and retirees seeking a relaxed and inexpensive place to live has moved in, replacing jobseekers who have left. Townsite has become a popular destination for young families fleeing the bustle and outrageous real estate prices of the Lower Mainland and Victoria. Indeed, when I saw one of these well-maintained, heritage houses on sale for less than $200,000 I nearly put in an offer myself.

"Pow Town" is definitely a family-friendly destination - my toddler loved combing through the sand and rocks at Willingdon Beach, and Powell Lake has floating cabins that can be rented for a perfect family summer holiday. For more active vacationers, there is a weeklong canoe route that follows a circle of lakes surrounding the town. Kayaking and diving are excellent in the area, and many sailboats stop here before heading up to Desolation Sound to the north.

Another outdoor option is the Sunshine Coast Trail that stretches the length of the Upper Coast. Divided into five sections, the 180-km trail includes walk-in campsites, picnic tables, outhouses, benches, shelters, and even swimming wharfs.

If fine dining, cultural activities and sunset viewing are more your style, Powell River has great options for you, too. Downtown has several excellent restaurants, and with a west-facing view of the steep mountains of northern Vancouver Island, the sunsets are often spectacular.

While you're there, be sure to take in a movie at the Patricia Theatre in Townsite, Canada's oldest continuously running cinema, dating back to 1915.

Inside, the cinema is gorgeous: painted murals line the walls, framing the original, hand-stencilled French velvet curtains and an old organ right below the stage which a local volunteer organist sometimes plays before shows. There's even a Vancouver connection-the seats came from the Orpheum when it was refurbished in 2009.

The Patricia also hosts wedding ceremonies, and there was one in Townsite while we were visiting. Prior to the ceremony, the wedding party dropped by Townsite Brewing for the brewery's launch. The bride and groom rode in a bicycle rickshaw with a small keg of beer in their laps, leading an eclectic parade around the block (which included two decorated goats as is the tradition with spring Bock beer in Germany) to McKinney's Pub in the Rodmay Hotel. Everyone raised a toast to the new brewery opening in the place where the town was born a century ago. And then the wedding party returned to the Patricia where the marquee read "Congratulations Gord & Rachelle."

And that's Powell River in a nutshell: a clear sense of history overlaid with a present-day confidence and an eye to the future.

Joe Wiebe is a Vancouver writer who specializes in stories about family travel, craft beer, sports and culture. He is currently writing a book about Vancouver's brewing history, entitled Tales from Brewery Creek.

SUNNY COAST?

Is it really more sunny on the Sunshine Coast? Apparently, the name was originally used by a real estate developed in the 1950s, and it stuck around long enough to become official. Of course, it does rain there, but the tourism folks are quick to point out they get 14 more days of sunshine per year than Victoria or Vancouver because the area lies in Vancouver Island's rains shadow. All I know is we enjoyed beautiful, clear, sunny weather throughout our weekend there.

TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP

Getting There

— If you'd rather not spend five hours driving there, you can fly direct to Powell River from YVR (pacific-coastal.com) There is also a circle route option since BC Ferries has service between Powell River and Comox on Vancouver Island (bcferries.com)

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